Cvjetni is located in the heart of the city, in Zagreb’s “family room”, right on Cvjetni Square.
Cvjetni Square is the main destination
for all the city’s residents, and many others from the suburban surroundings
and large regional centers such as Karlovac, Samobor and Varaždin.
It is not unusual for residents of these cities to fulfill their weekend
shopping needs in the metropolitan area.
Cvjetni Square is dedicated to living.
This has been true since its emergence in the 14th century,
when it served as a fairground, until its final formation into a real
city square at the end of the 19th century. The buildings
surrounding the square bear witness to a rich life dedicated to shopping,
socializing and conversing. These were the palaces of the wealthy of
the day, and were built in accordance with the most brazen trends in
architecture and art of that time. Just how important Cvjetni Square
is to Zagreb can best be seen from the fact that the site of today’s First
Croatian Savings Bank (Octagon) was originally intended for the construction
of the Croatian National Theatre.
Cvjetni is a place for hedonism.
Let’s start with Saturday’s špica; a colorful parade of local stars whose faces entertain
us on the small and big screen, constantly followed by the eyes of media.
They are surrounded by youth talking about fashion, politics, music
and other things that make their lives interesting. Some are students
and daily, never-ending coffees are part of their ritual, while some
work downtown and Cvjetni Square is their cafeteria. Grandparents walk
their grandchildren through this part of town, somewhere in between
their way to the park or another ice cream. Elegant business people
holding their Blackberry in one hand while using a laptop with the other,
use it as their outdoor office, even in their time of leisure. At times,
it seems as if the whole city comes to Cvjetni Square to relax, to take
a moment to forget their daily problems, to take a moment to live.
The center of Zagreb; Cvjetni position